


Once Upon A Story

by dyslexicdecisions



Category: Beauty and the Beast (1991), Fifth Harmony (Band), The Little Mermaid (1989)
Genre: AU, Adventure, Angst, Crossover, F/F, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-25
Updated: 2014-01-13
Packaged: 2018-01-06 03:40:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1101971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dyslexicdecisions/pseuds/dyslexicdecisions
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Camila Cabello is princess of the sea, direct descendant of Poseidon himself. She could have anyone in the entire Ocean, but that's not what she wants. Unfortunately Camila is a bit of a trouble-maker and befriends a crazy marine biologist whom she rescued from a near fatal accident. When her father finds out things take a turn for the worse and Camila will do anything to help out her newly found friend, including changing her world and putting her life in danger.</p><p>Meanwhile above the sea there is a ordinary girl trying to make her way through life. She has a close group of friends whom she can confide in with her struggles, but when her dad goes missing and everyone in her family gives up on him, there is only one person who stays on her side; a strange girl that nobody has ever heard of, but somehow to Lauren she seems familiar. This girl gives her hope, but why?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

I really shouldn’t have been up there at all. If my father were to find out I’d be shark bait, I’m not even kidding. I don’t really know what brought me there anyway I think it could have been the air. That was always something I loved about the surface, the way my voice travelled above the water. It made me love singing even more and it’s near impossible to make me love singing anymore. It’s my passion the thing I loved the most with all my heart. 

My parents didn’t get that, especially my Pap. He was all for finding a good man so I can continue the kingdom and all the things that I really, really, didn’t care about. My mami was more understanding but there was no way she’d be able to over rule the great Alejandro Cabello, King of the Sea.

Coming up to the surface was my saviour, just to hear the way the air carried my voice, to feel the breeze on my face. Sometimes I’d swim close to the shore and watch the people, the humans. They’d talk about their ‘celebrities’ all the singers that they loved. That’s when it hit me that up there, where voices floated so delicately along the air, I could sing for the rest of my life. 

I was humming to myself floating along the surface when I saw a stone skimming across the top of the water in front of me. I ducked my tail into the water and looked in the direction of where the stone came from. The beach that I was near was a secluded cove, very few humans knew of it’s existence. There was however a small boathouse there where a man would always take his boat out. It wasn’t a fishing boat though it was full of all strange floobyduskers. At least that’s what I think they were called. My attention was drawn away from the boat house and the man who owned the floobydusked boat. There was a girl on the beach skimming stones out towards the open sea. I wondered how she knew about the cove seeing as I had only ever seen the man there before. 

I swam closer to the cove, curious of this girl. She was good at skimming stones, I watched as she always seemed to get more than five bounces. She was no stranger to the beach, just a stranger to me. As I swam closer I became captivated by her body movements. I was always curious how human bodies work but there was something about the way she moved, so fluidly as if the air was her water. I was drawn to her and swam closer. Her eyes were a shocking green, even I could see that from here. It was as if both the sky and the ocean were reflected in them all at once. Her long dark brown hair fell past her shoulders, it was almost as long as mine. She was slender but curvy, her body was so feminine, for a human. Then there were those things that she stood on…pegs? LEGS! They looked good, like I don’t know, I suppose they would just look like legs to anyone else but they were great. 

A man appeared behind the girl, it was the man who owned the boat. He called a name I couldn't quite hear, but the green eyes girl turned to face him. My eyes were drawn to where her back met her pegs. I mean legs. My hands travelled to the bass of my tail wishing that I was shaped in such a mesmerizing way. Humans were such beautiful creatures, but they often couldn’t see it themselves, maybe it was because the most beautiful part of them was behind them. Well it was for this girl anyway. I watched her as she walked away, her middle bit moving hypnotizingly like a metronome from side to side as her legs carried her up to the boat man. 

I stared for a few moments longer after seeing her before submerging back into the depths of the sea. I swam back towards my home, my fathers kingdom. The girl from the cove never leaving my mind, her and her captivating eyes. 

 

* * *

 

"Lauren!" I span to see my father on the ledge of the small cliff above me.

"Yeah?" 

"I’ve to collect Tay and Chris from school come on!" I nodded and headed towards my father rather reluctantly. I loved the beach, I wish we had longer I would have been in the water. I was surprised my dad hadn’t brought me here before. He was a marine biologist, but everyone in town thought her was nuts. They probably thought I was nuts too, even Taylor and Chris my younger siblings thought we were a bit weird. It was just because they didn’t have the same passion as we did. Dad was convinced that there was a whole other world under the sea. He had some pretty cool theories about Atlantis and stuff that it like, survived because their technology was so advanced and then that they evolved and stuff to be able to survive. He was always talking about things like that, he would write about it and read everything on it. He was just obsessed with the ocean, he was sure there had to be so much more down there than we could ever expect. He was always saying that only 2% of the worlds Oceans had been explored and people were to pre-occupied with space instead of looking at what’s right underneath us. 

I loved hearing his ideas and thoughts and although my passion was not with the ocean, it sort of over-lapped. I loved stories. I loved reading, writing, telling them. Just everything about escaping to another place just tantalized me so much. Sure, I knew some of my dads theories were a bit wacky, but the story behind it. The idea, that really spoke to me. I knew how much he thought about it, how much he believed in it or believed it to be true. I felt that too. I wanted my stories to be true, I wanted everything in my head to come to life. All the stories, of the heroes getting the girl, of true love and ancient gods and epic battles and alien invasions. Whatever it was I loved escaping. I did it all the time, in school, in the shop. I was always reading or writing. 

I knew everyone thought I was weird for it but I didn’t care, I had a small group of friends who I loved very much and despite everyone thinking I was a complete weirdo for being constantly glued to some sort of book, I was sort of popular. I mean, I suppose my friends helped, there was Normani, the head-cheerleader, Dinah her crazy bestfriend who would beat up anyone who insulted any one of us to our face and Allyson the cutest, sweetest girl anyone could know. Then I suppose there was our extended group - the boyfriends. Siope was Dinah’s boyfriend, they’d been together for a while, he was a good guy and everyone liked him even the teachers and that was saying something because he did very little in class. Then there was Troy, Ally’s boyfriend, they had been together forever they were like the staple couple of our year and if anyone needed any relationship advice it was straight to them. Not to mention the boys were Captains of the basketball and baseball teams respectively. Normani liked to keep herself single, I think she thought it gave herself more power being able to get any guy she wanted to help her out at any time but I had it on good authority that she was waiting for the guy she liked to ask her out. I don’t really know how I fitted into the group. I was a bit of an outcast even in the group but we worked well together, they looked after me and I loved each of them so much for their own little quirks. We had a great dynamic together and I’d be lying if I didn’t say they were my greatest inspirations for my characters. They were all so unique and special and sometimes they didn’t even know it. 

I had known Ally for years, we were the only Spanish speaking students in our year so we were always thrown together for projects in class. I remember in third grade when our teacher had given out to me for something stupid like not pushing my chair in under my table properly and I had breathed out every curse word I knew in my native tongue and Ally had looked so shocked, but cracked up laughing. She then chased me around for the rest of the day trying to get me to say prayers of forgiveness or something. We had been friends ever since.

I met Normani through sports, I was on the girls basketball team and she was a cheerleader so naturally she was cheering for my team and once she had sussed that I was pretty good at it she made sure she was my friend. She had then tried to introduce me to Ally, who was also a cheerleader but once we explained that we were actually bestfriends already it seemed like only a natural progression that we would become an inseparably threesome. 

Normani introduced us all to Dinah, for weeks she wouldn’t tell us how they met. She eventually came out with some story that she was walking her dog and found Dinah sat on a wall jamming out to Beyoncé. That sounded way too normal for those girls though, they always had this weird sisterly same brain wave thing going on. Ally and I were sure there was more to that story but we didn’t want to push the girls. It was mostly forgotten about and we progressed from and inseparable threesome to and inseparable foursome. 

I was so thankful to have friends that stood up for me, even though I could do it myself it was nice to know they have my back. I felt like they were my family, my actually family were quite different a lot more dysfunctional. 

My siblings didn’t like to be associated with my dad, just because everyone thought he was cracked. I always stood up for him but they had fallen into the ways of society, they even made him wait around the corner when he collected them from school, I hated that. 

"Hey Papi?" I asked as we reached his truck.

"Yeah Mija?" 

"I wanna drive." He smiled and threw me the keys thinking nothing of it. I was glad and technically I wouldn’t be doing anything wrong. Chris and Tay never asked me to wait around the corner when I collected them.

I pulled up to the school, right outside the front gates and rolled down the window. The truck was pretty hot but I just wanted everyone to be able to see in the car and see my dad. As if they didn’t already know that my brother and sister were related to him. Everyone at school knew that I was related to him and that they were related to me, really there was no point in hiding it. They should be proud to be different but I guess they were just to busy trying to climb to the top of the hierarchy, despite the head start my group of friends and I had given them. 

The bell finally rang and my brother and sister appeared, Chris first saying goodbye to his mates and climbing into the back of the car.

"Hi Chris!" I exaggerated my enthusiasm just to piss him off, he knew what I was doing immediately and rolled his eyes.

"Lauren, Dad." He grunted before turning his attention to his phone.

Taylor followed soon after, she appeared at the door holding some boys hand. I raised an eyebrow before addressing Chris and nodding towards the door way.

"Who’s that?" 

"Dunno."

"You didn’t even look." I dead panned watching my brother in the mirror, he sighed heavily before looking up and dramatically turning his head as if it was a massive effort for him. He looked towards the door and I did the same, I watched as the boy bent down and gave Taylor a small peck on the cheek before walking over to the bike rack and unlocking his bike. 

"Taylors’ boyfriend." Chris stated before turning his attention back to his phone.

"Oh cheers Christopher you’re so very helpful." I laughed as my dads attention had suddenly been drawn in the direction of the school entrance.

"Where?" He asked fidgeting in his seat. I laughed again and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down Papi he’s gone now." 

"Better be, that’s my baby girl." As if on cue Taylor entered the truck and sat behind dad, a smile plastered across her face she didn’t even seem bothered that I had parked in the prime spot.

"Hey guys." She smiled dreamily. 

I rolled my eyes before pulling off and heading home. 

 

* * *

 

As soon as I was home I wished I wasn’t. Dinner was the worst. I mean the food was great but my mother had this rule where my father and I weren’t allowed to talk work or books at the dinner table. We just got to carried away and nobody would get a word in, so we were forced to talk about boring things, like ‘how our day went’. This of course lead to my dad making the most lethal mistake ever. 

"So how was your day Taylor?" My mother smiled at my youngest sibling while pouring herself a glass of milk. 

"Ooh yeah! How’s your boyfriend?!" Dad smiled in her direction and I swear I have never seen my mothers head turn so fast. Or Tay turn red that fast. 

"What…?" She looked down playing with her food, one of her worst tells. She was a terrible liar.

"Taylor Jauregui!" My mom smiled returning to her seat.

"Tell us everything!! I’m so happy for you." 

The remainder of my dinner was spent listening to my younger sister drool over this Wes guy who was apparently the most amazing person to ever grace the earth. Once she was finished my mother was still beaming at my younger sister. It made me sick to the stomach.

"He sounds lovely honey!" My mom said to my sister, taking up her plate and bringing it to the dishwasher. I looked up to see my dad wide eyed, obviously as disturbed by the conversation we had just listened to as I was, probably more because that was his ‘baby girl’. I couldn’t help but laugh at his expression, I felt my mouthful of milk almost escape through my nose. Dad looked up and smiled at me and I couldn’t help but break into a proper laugh, trying desperately to swallow my mouthful of milk.

"I don’t know what you’re laughing at… At least I have enough of a life to have a boyfriend." Taylor shot at me from the other side of the table. I rolled my eyes, it was always about her.

"I wasn’t laughing at you genius." I snarked back before turning back to my plate.

"She has a point though Laur, how come you’ve never told us about any boys you like?" My mother spoke up and I rolled my eyes again. It was a bad habit of mine. I looked up quickly locking eyes with my dad before turning my attention to the woman of the house. Dad and I had talked about this sort of thing before, we both thought it was probably best to keep it from mom until I left the house, or it had to come up. I was proud of who I was and was open with my closest friends and my dad, but we all knew how judgemental the rest of the world could be and I didn’t need another thing to be singled out for.

"They’re just really boring in my year… I mean who would you want to see me with?" I asked trying to keep my tone straight. It’s a shame I couldn’t keep the rest of me straight. 

"That Keaton fellow is nice enough, isn’t he friends with Siope?" My mom smiled at me obviously not bothered by how wrong her sentence had just been.

"Oh we could be related!" Taylor smiled at me stupidly.

"We are related dumbass." I rolled my eyes again, one day they’d stay in the back of my head, I was sure of it.

"And no and no… He’s just on Siope’s team, I don’t think anyone in their right mind likes Keaton. Except you." I stood up bringing my plate to the dishwasher.

"Well you definitely don’t like him. He’s got the wrong parts, isn’t that right?" Chris finally spoke up and I turned on my heel to face him shooting him daggers.

"That’s what everyone in school says you know? ‘It’s a shame she likes chicks ‘cause she’s really hot’." He said again trying to imitate one of the boys from school but just sounding exactly the same. I didn’t have to say anything although there was a plethora of snide comebacks waiting on my tongue, my mother got their first. She burst into a high pitched laughter that pierced the awkward air that was now lingering.

"Lauren’s not a lesbian! She’s too  _pretty_  to be a lesbian..” She laughed some more. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion at her statement.

"Besides, she can’t be a lesbian, we brought her up right." She finished. I felt my blood boil and my fists clench. I relaxed my face and tried to act calm.

"Mmm." Was all I was able to get out. Luckily enough dad got up and put his plate in the dishwasher, standing between my mother and I.

"I need to do some work on the boat and I need Lauren’s help is it alright if we go now?" He asked smiling at my mother, rubbing her shoulder making sure she was calm. She smiled at him and I was so grateful he was there for me.

"Yes, actually that’s perfect. Would you be able to swing by the store and pick Lauren up a new outfit?" She asked digging into her purse to hand my dads some bills.

"What?" I asked my eyebrows furrowed once more, this woman was two extremes.

"There’s a party this weekend that you’re going to and I think you should get a new outfit. Maybe then you can talk to a boy and all these stupid rumours will dissappear." Oh of course,  _ulterior motive_. I smiled and thanked her, resisting the urge to just yell at her that everything was true.

We left the house pretty hastily and climbed into dads truck, he pulled off and drove down the street pulling over as soon as we turned the corner away from the house. He pulled his seat back and opened his arms, I fell into them gratefully and broke down. Tears cascading down my face and onto his lap, breathless sobs filling the car as he stroked my hair trying to calm me. Shushing me and telling me it’d be okay. I wanted with everything in me to believe him but something inside me never did.

 

* * *

 

"Where have you been?" Ugh great.

I smiled and raised my hand to the back of my head scratching at the base of my skull before turning to face my mother.

"Mila, you were up there again weren’t you?" I grimaced at her words knowing I couldn’t really lie. She frowned at me and opened her mouth ready to give me a lecture but I cut in before she could start.

"Mami! You don’t understand it’s the way the world sounds up there, it’s so much more than here and why shouldn’t we be allowed to go up there. I mean if we weren’t supposed to go up there we wouldn’t be able to breathe up there. It makes sense." I waved my hands franticly trying to distract my mother, wherever she was my father wasn’t far behind and we needed to be off the subject of the surface before he arrives.

"Mila you can breathe up there, because your father is the King of the Sea." I knew that already, I mean there were plenty of benefits being the daughter of Alejandro Cabello, breathing on the surface was one of them. Apparently more of the ‘benefits’ would become apparent when I got older. Everyone down here knew that we were descended from Poseidon himself and that’s where we got our power and our powers. The God of the ocean wouldn’t leave his realm in the hands of just anyone, you know?

"Yeah that’s my point, I shouldn’t be able to do a bunch of stuff, but I can… Like eat as much as I want." I said incredulously as I felt a new current in the water. It was powerful long strokes that only belonged to one tail.

"Hey Papi." I smiled at him and his face changed immediately.

"What?" I asked, positive that he wouldn’t have been able to hear our conversation. He should have heard me talking about food and that was not an unusual thing for me to be talking about.

"You’ve been to the surface again." He stated frowning at me. He had that disappointed face on, Gods, I hated that face.

"What, no, what makes you - "

"Don’t lie Camila, you’ve caught the sun and your eyes are doing that thing again." I shook my head and looked at my father confused. He sighed and beckoned us to follow him towards our home.

"I don’t know why you’re so fascinated with the surface Mila. I wish you wouldn’t go up there it’s dangerous. I told you if you went up there once more I’d have to keep a closer eye on you. What if a fisherman caught a glimpse of your tail and thought you were something to be caught?" He asked opening the front door for me, letting me swim ahead.

"Papi you know they’d never catch me. Besides I wasn’t near any fishing boats." I let it slip out of my mouth, trying to convince him I was safe when I visited the surface but I knew what I said was much worse.

"KARLA CAMILA CABELLO! YOU’VE BEEN UP AT THE COVE HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM THERE?! EVEN IF YOU ARE UNDERWATER IT’S TO RISKY TO GO ANYWHERE NEAR THAT MAN AND HIS BOAT. HE HAS BEEN SO CLOSE TO CATCHING OUR PEOPLE." Oh Gods there it was.

"I know you have a soft spot for the humans, but that bumbling buffoon has somehow gotten close to finding proof of our existence. The last thing we need is for him to stubble upon a direct descendant of Poseidon himself." I rolled my eyes at my father, the man with the floobyduskers was not a buffoon and I was sure he was a nice man. He was always unhooking fish from these little plastic trapper things that kids hid on the beach late at night. He had saved the lives of many fish that lived in this very kingdom.

"Ugh dad you don’t understand. He isn’t someone to worry about I think he’d be happy if he knew we were here." Uh-oh. I hated my stupid mouth sometime.

"Camila for the sake of the Gods, stop talking. This is not up for debate, you are not allowed to go back up to the surface ever again. You are restricted to the confines of your room until further notice and if I ever you find that you have disobeyed my rules… You won’t even want to know what I’ll do to you, or who I’ll feed you to." He finished with a whisper. I hated it that I wish he’d just shout, it was easier to deal with. He pointed towards my room and I swam off without another word. He was such a pain in the ass. There was no way I’d be able to stay away from the surface anyway. Especially after seeing that girl today on the surface. Her bright sea-sky eyes were etched into my brain. I smiled at the thought of her and grabbed a chisel and a fresh slab of sandstone from under my bed, I lifted my hand and waved towards the chisel. It sat up immediately and began to carve the words that came to my head. My latest song about the girl I had just met, I smiled and lay back onto my bed one hand behind my head, the other still waving it at the chisel enchanting it to move with my thoughts.


	2. Chapter 2

It wasn’t long until I was bored of my room, it wasn’t much longer til I was bored of my fathers rules. It wasn’t that I was a bad kid it was just that I was absent minded, sort of… distracted constantly. It was somewhere towards the afternoon when I had swam out of my window and stealthy headed for a nice swim. I just needed to stretch my tail, you know? The fact that dad had grounded me for a whole day in the first place was just ridiculous. (A Mer-day not a Human day, days are measured by the cycle of the moon.) Little did I know that I had swam over a small crevice with a pair of Eels hidden in it. They were slimy creatures those Eels, they’d do anything for the right price and when I had coincidentally turned to see them swimming towards the palace I knew they would spew any story imaginable about the Kings “Rogue Daughter” until my father paid they’re ridiculous price. 

Instead of turning around and beating them home I decided to swim harder. My goal wasn’t to intentionally dis-please my father, it was just to swim enough to survive his next remprimandation. Alas, much to my displeasure I felt the water grow cold behind me and I knew my father was fast on my tail. I knew I couldn’t out-swim him, he was faster than any creature under the sea, the only place he wouldn’t go is where I headed. Up. 

A few metres from the surface I spotted a boat not far away. I knew this area pretty well and the only dock nearby was the one at the cove, which lead me to the conclusion that it was the floobydusker boat. I concentrated my vision to the name on the side of the boat, occasionally being submerged by the rough waves caused by my fathers impossibly fast swimming. ‘Ocean Harmony’. I smiled at that, it seemed the floobydusker-man was an optimist. Wouldn’t it be lovely if the Ocean was in harmony? I was broke out of my stream of thoughts by a thunderous roar. Well as thunderous as you can get under-water.

"KARLA!" I spun to see my father below me, not daring to get as close to the surface as I was, even though I was still submerged by a good three metres of water.

"What Papi?" I asked folding my hands, clearly irritated even though I had no right to be. I saw his blood boil as he clenched his fists. 

"Get down here at once young lady." He spat his words through clenched teeth, I had no idea what those eels had told him but he should know better by now than to listen to their slimy lies.

"I’m not doing anything Dad." I said plainly returning my attention to the boat above me.

"Karla Camila Cabello, you better get your tail down here before I…"

"Before you what Dad? Huh? You gonna use your powers to drown your own daughter? OH WAIT YOU CAN’T ‘CAUSE SHE’S A MERMAID." I smirked turning back to him. I knew I had struck a nerve when I felt a shudder in the water, that would be a good wave to surf.

"Besides, you’re not allowed take out your wrath on innocents." I continued boldly smiling to myself and indicating the boat above my head. My father was shaking with rage now, never had I disobeyed him like this, or spoke back to him like this. I don’t know what had me feeling so courageous right now but it felt good. I knew I didn’t deserve his drastic punishment anyway.

"Oh really? Is that the -human- " He spat the word as if it were poison.

"That your so fond of? Well guess what, he’s a danger to us." I frowned at him, how was that man a danger? He was so gentle and cuddly looking and his boat was called ‘Ocean Harmony’ - that is not dangerous.

"He could expose our secret at any minute and while I’m destroying his boat, I might as well get my daughter from the surface… What do you think about that?" He was almost panting now and I had never seen him so mad before. My eyes grew wide with shock as I saw his eyes turning red.

"You wouldn’t…" He lifted his arms slowly and I surged towards him my own arm outstretched trying to stop him.

"DAD NO!" I said before turning to see what he was actually pointing at, the floobydusker boat. I turned on my tail quickly and sped towards Ocean Harmony. I couldn’t let that innocent man pay for my idiocy. As I neared the boat I felt my Dad release his rage, the ocean surged forward, the boat and I in its wake. A storm had formed over head and the boat was not having a good time of it. We were pushed near to a reef, I avoided it with ease but Ocean Harmony was struck badly. The hull was breached and the ship was slowly sinking on the rough waves. I submerged and tried to spot the owner of the boat through the rain and sea spray. 

I eventually spotted the man clambering around the port side of the ship. His hood up and his trousers tucked into his boots. He was trying to secure ropes here there and everywhere.

"That’s no use!" I yelled, watching him turn around in confusion looking for the source of my voice.

"Jump!!" I yelled again hoping he would listen to me.The short man looked up towards the sky pausing for a minute before facing back to where I was being tossed around by the choppy waves. He opened his mouth and yelled as he ran for the railing, diving over and splashing into the sea right before my father sent another surging wave at his boat completely crashing it against the reef.

I ducked below the surface to find the man, my sight was always better underwater. I spotted his flailing bright yellow limbs easily and swam for him immediately. I brought him to the surface so he could breath before aiming for the nearest bit of land I knew. 

I was half way there when I felt him awaken on my shoulder. The sea was starting to calm now so he wasn’t constantly being hit with wave upon wave of after shocks of my dads temper tantrum. 

"Are you an angel?" He spluttered some water over my shoulder as his head rolled from side to side.

"No sir!" I smiled at him kindly, he really was an optimist wasn’t he. I watched him carefully as he started to fall unconscious again.

"Just the princess of the sea." I mumbled under my breath. 

It wasn’t long before he was out cold again, I finally managed to drag him to a small piece of land that not many people knew of. We were out much further than this poor man probably intended, the closest piece of inhabited land was the North Cat Cay Island, that alone was 50 miles away from Miami. We were far beyond that at this stage. 

The Island I brought him too in the old days was called ‘οι θυελλώδεις φωνές του νησιού’. Not many, even of our kind, spoke the old language and the humans had already dubbed the island useless. Too small for any commerce or habitual purposes and too far out to use for any recreational reasons, like the Cat Cay Yacht club had used the island we just passed for. Now it was simply known as the Safe-Rae Island. It was almost always sunny here and if a girl wanted to change her scales this is where she came. 

It was a beautiful place really one of my favourites, its tides changed very little and even in the moonlight the water sparkled and the wildlife sang.

I know if I was allowed to come to the surface at all and be allowed it would only be here and all the Mer-folk who came of age were allowed to come here and many of the other islands spread across the ocean but of course its far too dangerous for a princess to go anywhere out of water and yada yada yada..

I dragged the man onto a nearby rock. I lay him face up and sprawled out. I thought about leaving him for a while, but I couldn’t. He was lost at sea with no ways of communication or getting home. I got him into this mess and I sure as hell couldn’t leave him in it. He would surely die within a few hours.

I lay beside his rock, propping myself up on my elbows, my tail still keeping warm in the water even though the sun was shining hotly above us. It didn’t take long for the mans’ clothes to dry out and soon he was only splashed with spray hitting the rock he lay on. I looked up lazily, amazed by the moving sky above me. The sun was setting and the sky turning to a dark purple, I watched in awe as the stars started to appear lighting up the sky. It was so beautiful, something you didn’t get to see when you were miles bellow sea-level. Sometimes even the humans missed it because of the way their cities polluted the sky, but out here on this lone island, the sky was as clear as crystal. It was just absolutely…

"Beautiful." I heard a voice beside me and snapped my head to face the source. There was the man that I had carried to safety, sat cross legged on the rock staring up at the darkened sky.

I smiled up at him, taking in his features. He had a kind face, his eyes were bright even though the brown was so dark, his cheeks were full, his smile taking over his face completely. This guy was most definitely an optimist. There was something so familiar about him too as if I had examined his face before, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. 

"It is isn’t it?" I said grinning up towards the now dark blue sky, clouds starting to form in the difference. I saw the figure beside me jump a little, his foot slipping to splash the water beside him.

"Oh you’re awake!" He said his smile broadening even more. I turned to face him, confusion on my face.

"You were asleep, not me..?" I asked, looking into his dark eyes not to dissimilar from my own.

"I probably was but I’m pretty sure you fell asleep for a while." I smiled kindly once more and I felt myself feeling much more relaxed than I should have been. This being my first interaction with a human and all. Papi always said Humans were the sort who liked to stick us with insteramminations and interjunctions and things I couldn’t remember what they were called but they sounded pretty scary. I was brought up with stories of the scary Humans who used to travel the ocean and harpoon our kind for fun and apparently it had only stopped a few years before my own birth. The idea was truly terrifying but something in me always told me that it wasn’t the whole truth. I always had this curiosity, but then again Papi always said curiosity killed the catfish.

Not that, that did anything to discourage me.

"Oh sorry about that…" I started but I was promptly cut-off by Mr. Optimist.

"Don’t be ridiculous, kid you saved my life!" He chuckled, before nodding at me and continuing.

"Thank you for that by the way… I was… I have…" His bushy eyebrows furrowed together almost becoming one and he scratched his head at the memory. I giggled before approaching the bottom of the rock he was perched on. 

"I know it’s probably pretty confusing but… Uh I can explain everything and I don’t want you to like.."

"No!" He broke my rant once again and I looked up at him in shock worried, but he smiled once more and I felt myself relax.

"Sorry, I get excited and yell.." He giggled to himself and I joined in.

"Oh me too sir me too!" 

"Oh I’m Mike by the way!" He stuck out a hand and I followed suit not quite sure what to do with it.

"Like this…" He took my other hand and placed it in his and shook it. I watched as my mouth formed a small ‘o’. 

"I’m Camila." I smiled back at him sticking my other hand above our already shaking hands. He laughed and joined them together shaking them as well.

"Well Camila, I meant to say, no let me tell you what I know… So far and then you can fill me in?" He smiled letting go of my hands and smiling at me kindly once more. I nodded and waited ready to listen intently to the man who was drastically contradicting everything I had been taught about humans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just for the people who I’ve confused which is probably everyone who is reading, a Mermaid day is an Ocean cycle - which is a moon cycle which is a month, so a day for the Cabello’s is a month to the Jauregui’s which is why Camz thought Mike would die in a couple of ‘hours’ - because that’s actually human days.
> 
> I hope that makes sense!
> 
> MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!


	3. Chapter 3

I felt Ally grab my hand as my breathing began to get heavier. I glanced towards her where she gave me a sad grin, her eyes swimming with tears ready to overflow at any second. My own didn't have as much will power and had already cascaded down my face, making my mascara meander along with them. I squeezed her hand back and turned my attention to Chris who was up at the altar saying his piece.

  
He caught my eye and I smiled and nodded at him. I was proud of him. I really was, him and Tay and even my mom. They were holding up so well. I glanced around at the small chapel we were in, I reckon mom booked a small one because she wasn't sure many people would turn up. Needless to say the turn out was more than I could have asked for. I had my three best friends with me, Chris had his. Taylor had her stupid boyfriend with her and his idiotic brother had shown up too. There was a few neighbours, some co-workers and Ally's parents were here too. She had joked that they'd use any excuse to go to church but I knew they were trying to be good friends to my mom. Even Troy and Siope had a seat down the back.

  
I smiled sadly once more my eyes reconnecting with Chris who was now letting his own tears fall. I heard him mention my name and I made sure to concentrate.

"Lauren was always closest with Dad. I'm not gonna lie... I was jealous, but really it was only because I never gave him the time of day. I was too scared of the names I'd be called, I didn't treat him like family, even at home. None of us did, except Lauren. He wasn't just her dad, he was her best friend and he could have been that for me but I just didn't let him." He inhaled a shakey breath he had changed from talking to the whole congregation to just focusing on me.

"It's selfish of me now to miss him when I never gave him the attention or love that he deserved. That's my biggest regret and I know I'll always regret it. So I urge you all please look after your family, love them, cherish them. Treat them the way they deserve because it's the worst thing to lose someone who loved you and you never get to let them know that you love them too."

I couldn't help the sob that escaped my lips, I loved my dad. He knew it, I know he did and I knew where Chris was coming from but the way he was looking at me told me he had learned his lesson. He was speaking to me, telling me he was sorry for not sticking by dad and to some extent me. He was telling me he loved me and that he was on my side and that felt so good.

"So Dad..." He turned and removed himself from behind the stand where he was stood and moved over to the table where the picture of my father sat grinning out at all of us. He was away from the mic now, but the church was so still, so silent we could hear every word.

"I love you, so much. You were a great dad and.." He choked a bit and I stood abruptly. A few people glanced in my direction but their attention turned back to my little brother when he fell forward leaning against the table, his chest palpitating with the sobs that escaped him. He sniffed loudly and I was already half way down the aisle when he managed to continue.

"And I promise I'll look after Lo... I know I haven't been but, but she's so good to us and I'm gonna have her back no matter what. I'm proud to be your son." That's when I lost it.

My eyes poured tears and my pace quickened. I wrapped my arms around my little brother and pulled him into a hug as he began to cry into my shoulder. I walked him back to the nearest pew and sat down with him. I never would have imagined being in this situation a month ago.

Dad had gone out on an exploration a few days after that stupid party that mom made me go to. He said his equipment was picking up some strange mineral movement a few miles out and he wanted to have a look. He had actually asked me did I want to come over but unfortunately mom had set me up on some sort of chaperone/double date thing with Tay. I say unfortunately because all the things I'm feeling now are much worse than what a turning tide can do. I would have much rather been on the boat than stuck here without him. I was glad I had Chris now and my friends were always great, but my Dad has always been my anchor. Whenever I steered off-course he'd be there reeling me back in and helping me go in the right direction. I didn't know if I could do that on my own.

They sent out a search and rescue for him after the storm settled and his boats radar wasn't online. The officials weren't worried though, they said stuff like that happens all the time and that heavy unexpected storms like that can knock equipment out and that he was probably just trying to find his bearings to get home to us.

That wasn't the case. It took them just under two weeks to find his boats wreckage, including the life boat that was attached to its' side. They did a full search of the boat, all the life jackets were there, the floatation devices, everything and anything that could have possibly saved him was lying on the ocean floor.

They never found the body.

And now here we were; at his memorial service. A little more than a family mourning their father, lost at sea.

 

* * *

 

The house was intoxicating when we got back. Taylor and her boyfriend were on the couch all cuddled up, his oaf of a brother sat beside them awkwardly. Mom was talking to the few people that had insisted on coming home with us to make sure we were okay. Chris had gone to his room. I think he was ashamed of his little break down, having to be the man of the house now he probably thought he blew it straight away by crying. He hadn't of course, Dad would have been so proud of him had he seen him today. It was an immense amount of pressure for a fifteen year old to take on.

The house was sticky with the same questions re-appearing and dissappearing constantly, the melancholy ever present. I really didn't want to stay so I grabbed Ally's hand and took her outside, unlocking my Dads old truck before climbing into it and motioning for the smaller brunette to join me. She was the only one left now, the others having other arrangements. I told them I was fine anyway but Allyson had insisted on staying, she was like that.

We drove for a while in silence, it was comfortable, just what I needed. She was good to me like that she understood me like nobody else did. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a thing for Ally. She was always the one in the group who knew me the best, she was cute and sweet and she had this way of making me laugh that nobody else could compare to. On the other hand she's been my best friend for years and because I knew her just as well as she knew me, I knew even if I did tell her about my little crush, that's all she would say it was. She wouldn't be awkward or anything and she'd try no to disregard it too much so she wouldn't hurt my feelings, but she wouldn't be able to do anything about it and I know that. Besides that, there's Troy and he makes her happy and really that's all I want for her. I just want her to be happy and if it's not me then so be it, I'll just be the best friend I can be.

It's not that I mind, I've never really had the chance to be in a proper relationship, my first kiss was abominable and I've barley kissed anyone since, definitely not anyone important.

"What you thinking 'bout Laur?" I sighed and turned to face the small brunette beside me.

"I- I don't know... I just want to breathe, you know? That house is too stuffy." She hummed in agreement as I turned the truck down a side lane. It would probably be missed by other people, too busy heading to Venice beach. This lane twisted and turned in the other direction, leading to the only place where I knew I could find solace.

I parked the truck in Dad's usual spot on the brow of the dunes that led down to the cove. Ally got out of the truck first, closing her door quietly. She was like me when we were here. We both felt this place was special, because it was so untouched compared to the other beaches in Miami. We didn't want to disturb the wildlife of the place and wanted to keep it as natural and as beautiful as the day my father found it.

"I still love it here." Allyson turned to me as I made my way around to front of the truck. Her small hand reached for mine and I took it gladly. She pulled me up onto the cusp of the dune in front of us. We had a great view of the small beach from here. It truly was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen, it was so full of personality, of little quirks. Being called weird all my life I had a love for weird things.

"Me too." I smiled towards the older girl as we started to make our way down to the beach.

I kicked my shoes off and lay against a rock at the edge of the beach. Ally sat down beside me, looking out into the ocean. You'd think this is the last place I'd want to be, but the roll of the waves brought me comfort.

"Do you want to talk?" I smiled at the small voice.

"You know what?" I asked turning my attention to her.

"What?"

"I don't think he's gone." Usually people would be shocked, or scoff at something so naive. He had been lost at sea for almost a month, his ship completely destroyed in a freak storm. Yet the fact that his body was never found, gave me hope. There was also something else.

"Why not?"

"Dad and I were always so close and I think I'd feel more if he was truly gone." I reasoned, my eyebrows furrowing. My father had always been such an important part of my life, I knew I would feel as if I was missing something, like I was missing a bit of me. Right now however, I felt okay. I was sad because I hadn't seen him and what Chris had said really got to me. I was annoyed because my sister seemed indifferent. I was upset because my mother wasn't talking, I never quite understood her, we never saw eye to eye but the fact that she seemed so distraught about my father sort of brought me a strange comfort. With all that was wrong with her, all her flaws and idiocies, at least she loved him.

Really, that was what my father deserved, to be loved by someone he loved and to know that she did, made me happy. It was stupid everything I was feeling because even though all of it was related to my father, nothing was directly in context with his 'passing'.

"How do you think he could poss - " I cut her off before she could finish.

"I'm not sure Ally. I just... There's something in me that's telling me he's okay, that he's fine." I saw her head flick between me and the ocean in my peripheral.

"He loved the ocean and everything in it... There's no way it could possibly take his life when all he showed it was kindness." My eyes were inexplicably drawn out to sea, the waves gently stroked the shore in front of us, licking at the wounds of the bay. It seemed so placid so peaceful. I scanned where we were sat and my eyes found the cliff edge at the corner of the cove. Shards of rocks jutting into the ocean, sharp as knives and as viscous as sharks cutting into the waves. I found it strange to think that the sea could be so gentle yet cause something so dangerous.

"You talk about the ocean as if it's alive..." Allyson smiled at me, watching as my green eyes bore into hers.

"It is."

 

* * *

 

"This is so much different than I expected. I suppose I never really thought you would be much different from us." I laughed at his enthusiasm.

"We're completely different species Mike... What did you expect?"I smiled as he tilted my head lightly with his hand.

"I don't know, I suppose Hollywood destroyed all my expectations." He gave a jolly chuckle as his fingers ran up my face, examining intently.

"What's Hollywood?" I asked quirking an eyebrow. His attention turned to me his eyes wide with shock, but slowly softening in realisation.

"It's where all the movies are made." I tried to rack my brain.. Movies... Had we talked about them before?

"Movies...?" I asked shyly this time because I wasn't sure if he had explained that to me before.

"They're a recreational sort of thing, people act out stories and it's all put onto a mirror sort of thing where it can be watched over and over." He smiled kindly.

"All the mermaids in the movies were simply human on top with a tail and I suppose that's what I thought you were going to be." I laughed as once again his hand tickled my neck. He spoke softly once more his eyes full of awe.

"Gills, of course. How else would you breathe underwater..."

"OH! Mike wanna see a trick?" He laughed at my enthusiasm and I took that as a yes. I sucked in a mouthful of air and held my nose tight with my fingers as my new found friend watched happily. I tried to blow out my nose but because it was clenched tight my gills flew open, the protective skin flapping with the air pressure.

Mike laughed out loud as my whole neck opened up, three long slits from the middle of my neck up to my jawline. The protective layer of skin was larger than that, it was attached on my cheek and covered each of the slits all the way down my neck. I had taken it just to be a normal thing but Mike had explained to me that it was to stop all sorts of things from entering my gills when I swam at speed, sort of like a... Oh what did he call it? Like a windscreen on a motorbike.

Whatever that was...

"Oh Camila! You are something special you know that!" I laughed along with him this time.

We had become really fond of each other in the hours he had been here, even though he had to sleep every hour or so. It was strange, his beard was becoming darker and he needed to eat so often. Must have been something to do with the human anatomy.

When he first awoke he surprised me by how much he knew. I was willing to explain everything that had happened, from when his boat had crashed to when he had awoken, but it seemed he knew more than most would have. He told me he had been studying the sea for years. He wanted to see if his research was correct, he guessed right away that I was a mermaid and that the storm was caused by something more than the weather. That's where I had to fill him in about my fight with my father. I didn't give him all the details really. I wanted him to think of me as normal. Well as normal as I could be for him. Unfortunately he had heard me say I was the princess of the sea, but he didn't need to know about all the powers and things. That was need to know.

"Do you know Mila, I think you'd really get on with my daughter. If... you know that was possible..." He sighed and I wondered if it was the same sadness I felt. I still couldn't understand why our species couldn't coexist. Father had said humans were an abomination to this work and the teachings in our school didn't say much more than that, but meeting and getting to know Mike only encouraged my curiosity.

"I really miss her." He looked out to sea longingly. (The complete opposite direction to where Miami was but I didn't want to be patronizing.)

"The rest of my family too, but one of my daughters..."

"Lauren?" I asked smiling up at him.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" His attention was back on me now and I smiled simply at him.

"A couple of hours ago when I was dropping your food off, you were talking to her... I think, I mean you were asleep but you were saying her name a lot." The older man sighed deeply and returned his gaze to the waves, crashing in on his shore.

"I worry about her the most... She sort of gets singled out a lot. She's not like the others, you know?" I smiled at him sadly. Being the daughter of the King of the Sea made me different, it wasn't exactly the worst thing to be different with but it was still something. The teachers were extra hard on me, they expected more just because of who I was related to. All the other kids my age wanted to be friends with me, which was nice at the start but when I realised that most of them had ulterior motives I became that 'snooty bitch'. They'd always say that just because my dad is so important doesn't give me the right to just ignore people, but the fact was they were using me to get up in the world. I went from the most popular to the most picked on within the first trimester of school. It sucked.

I only really had one friend now M'Ariel, she got to know me before realising who I was and who I was related to. I think that's what makes our friendship so strong.

"Oh, I know." I joined in with his sighing.

"I think I'd like for her to marry a girl like you..." He smiled looking at me fondly, before his eyes widened and his hands flew up in defence.

"Sorry I didn't mean... I just meant like, your personality, she's gay and I didn't mean to imply... I meant... you know you're a good person and..."

"Whoa whoa Mike!!" I held my hands up to try and stop his attack of words.

"Hold your Sea-Horses! First of all, I understand don't worry. I mean I'm hardly gonna hop out of the water and marry her now am I? Second of all, that was a really sweet thing to say and I'm flattered that you think I'm good enough for your daughter, I mean I'm such a goof I never really thought anyone would be pleased to have me in their family..."

"Oh Mila, you're such a cutie pie you have no idea..." He laughed at me. I smiled back baring my pearly whites.

"And third, what's 'gay'?" I asked. I watched Michael's reaction as his head quickly quirked and his eyebrow rose. He examined my brown eyes as I watched him curiously, obviously trying to see if I was joking.

"Uhm... It's when... It's same gender - I mean... It's when a girl likes a girl or a boy likes a boy..." He said slowly still watching me. I frowned at his answer.

"Why do you have a word for it?"

"What do you mean, why do we have a word for it?"

"I mean, if you like someone you like someone, is there a word for when a boy likes a girl or when a girl likes her dinner or when a boy likes hunting... Why is there a word for it?" I was highly confused at this stage, maybe that was one thing I couldn't get my head around, human dialect and their strange new words.

"Yeah, straight, hungry and, and... I don't know the last one."

"Straight is a direction and hungry is a feeling before someone has dinner..."

"Mila are you trying to tell me that you don't have a separation between people who like the same sex and people who like the opposite?" He asked his eyebrows almost reaching his hairline.

"I don't... I mean, everyone likes sex. What's opposite sex? That sounds kinda dangerous..." I ran a hand through my hair before continuing.

"If a person likes a person then that's liking someone it's not.. I mean it doesn't matter... I don't know why you humans have all these categories for things." I looked up at the human in front of me.

"You like over-complicating things don't you." I smiled trying to lighten the situation and hoping I hadn't said anything wrong.

"You're just wonderful." He smiled at me once more.

"So you wouldn't have any issues liking a mermaid or merman you just...?" He asked still smiling.

"Well it just depends on who you like doesn't it? I mean we're all just tummy and tail why should it matter?" I asked. Mike laughed and nodded at me and I joined in. He was such an easy guy to get along with and learning about human things was so intruiging. It made all the risks I was taking worth it. Not that I wouldn't take them anyway.

It had been getting worse recently, I had to bring food to him because the island was pretty bare. This meant I had to fish more often than usual. Well just in general I had to fish usually the palace chefs would catch the fish or lobsters for us, so it was an odd thing to see a princess fishing. I had been caught on several occasions. I had to tell my folks it was a hobby I enjoyed, I got an earful for that. Especially because they both know how terrible I am at it.

Then there's the constant disappearing. I had spent a good half of the day up here with Mike and most of the other half fishing for him and finding driftwood for his boat. I would have brought him back to his beach myself, but it's too far for me to carry him and he'd never be able to swim it himself. So he decided he would make himself a raft so I could just push it back to Miami.

Although I knew that was a long shot I still helped him, there was no way I'd be able to swim with a human over my home without being locked up for days. Dad would probably send another storm and this time he would kill him. I was pretty sure my parents were on to me now.

I could've cursed myself, just as that thought came into my mind the sky darkened and the water went cold, the natural current stopped and I knew my father was watching me.

Watching me interact with a human.

"Oh it got cold quick didn't it!" Mike said pulling his toes from the water and wrapping his arms around his chest. I barely heard him, I was scared out of my mind and I could feel my fathers presence getting closer far closer than he should have been. I turned my head behind me to see the top of his head emerging from the crisp still sea. Quickly I turned to Mike my eyes wide with fear hoping they were conveying everything I needed him to understand. This was my father and he needed to be very afraid.

"I'm so sorry." I said as he tried to focus on what he would have seen as a dot in the distance.

"Run." I said as his eyes focused back on me. He registered the fear in my eyes and scrambled to his feet.

"Are you okay? Come with me.." He started flustering through sentences that I wasn't really listening to. There was no way I'd be able to escape my fathers fury. Especially on land, with a tail.

"Just go please before he..." I was too late, of course I was too late. Mike's eyes had locked onto the figure behind me, I turned to see my father less than ten metres away from us. His eyebrows furrowed his eyes white with rage. He was so angry the veins on his neck were protruding and you could see he was breathing heavily from the light swell of his gills.

"HUMAN, YOU WILL NOT MOVE." He demanded, summoning the power of the gods to control Mike. He could have just asked, Mike would have obeyed he would have said, see Camila I'm sure he just wants to talk. He had been trying to convince me, that my father wasn't such a bad guy. He wasn't not really, he just had no tolerance for humans and lately, me.

I turned to Mike to see that he was frozen solid, staring at my father as he came closer.

"Camila." His voice returned to normal but he was still angry.

I turned to face him.

"Is this true then. You've been with a human, feeding a human? HELPING A HUMAN?" His voice rose and I felt my eyes start to sting, I had goose bumps on my skin but I couldn't tell if it was from the cold or the fear.

I nodded knowing there was no way out of this. His eyes grew with rage and his lip quivered, I knew he was struggling what to say and I never could have guessed as to what was going to come next.

"After everything my mother and I had said to you?" He asked his voice gentler now, threatening to break at any moment.

"We tried to be good to you Camila, but you broke every rule we gave you."

Was that true? Every rule. I looked up and saw not anger, but pain in my fathers eyes. I watched in shock as he drew his right hand up to his left shoulder.

"Karla Camila Cabello..." What!? No he couldn't? Not to his own daughter. My eyes widened in shock, fear, hurt. Everything. They swelled with every emotion I was feeling and burst free without me knowing.

"I as King of the Sea banish you from your home until such time as I deem acceptable or the thrown is no longer mine." He let go of his hand as if it was on a spring and as his hand moved I was thrown onto the beach by an incoming wave. It was like a slap in the face and a stab in the back all at once. I landed in the centre of the beach and watched in horror as my father turned to Mike and waved his hand, releasing him from his previous enchantment.

"GOD MILA ARE YOU OKAY?!" He turned to be immediately and tried to reach for me but my father merely lifted his hand again freezing Michael in his position.

"LET ME GO, SO HELP ME..." My father laughed at his threats.

"You are coming with me. You so desperately want to know about our people? Well you will be our prisoner until you have suffered enough." My father sneered at the shorter man and reached his hands forward towards his neck.

Using his thumb nail, he dug into Mike's neck creating three slits on either side. I watched terrified as he screamed in pain and was then lifted into the air. He turned to me one last time as my father began to disappear back towards my old home.

"You need to tell them I'm alright..." He gasped as he hit the cold water, but as soon as he did the blood on his neck vanished and his wounds healed. He had his very own set of gills.

"I'll be okay Mila, I promise.. Just tell them." And then he was gone.


End file.
